Robotics Club
Sponsored by the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore

Club Mission:
To provide an informal educational setting where all girls interested have an opportunity to explore the world of robotics.

Club Objectives:
To explore how robotics work, how robotics are used in our everyday lives, the science of how things work, what the future designed by you holds for all of us.

Club Essentials:
Each club chooses a location that best suits its members.

Each club will incorporate the Girl Scout Leadership Experience (GSLE) and periodically evaluate their club activities based on the outcomes: Discover, Connect & Take Action.

Each club is girl led: Decisions for the club are determined by the girls with their adult coach/facilitator’s advice and guidance.

Each club will have all its members, both adult and girls, registered as part of the Girl Scout Movement, $12.

Dues have been set at $8 per month and each club can determine what product sales programs and money raising activities they need to do to meet/achieve their goals (regional and council guidelines for money earning activities must be followed).


Why should girls be involved in robotics?

The answer is in the program design that integrates science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) concepts of:

• Problem solving
• Engineering
• Creativity
• Science principles
• Thinking skills
• Logic

The positive values and behaviors that are expected from each club member:

•      Cooperation
•      Gracious professional – treating one another with respect and kindness in the process of discovery

The Lego Educational System that we have chosen to use supports the concepts of “leadership through innovation.” The robotics club provides the opportunity to work with proven hands-on experiences that lead to positive solutions for each participant.  We are serious in our attempts to have more girls be successful in science, technology, engineering and math.

Our clubs will focus on the Lego Education WeDo™ Robotics Set with Activity Pack.

LEGO Education WeDo provides a hands-on learning experience that actively engages children’s creative thinking, teamwork and problem-solving skills. The WeDo environment is programmed with simple, drag-and-drop software .

We also have some supplemental interactive kits where girls work with basic simple machines, such as gears, to build and program simple models. In doing so, they understand the basics of moving a motor in one direction or the other, or how to gear up or down.
 

In a December 2006 interview in Scientific American Magazine, Bill Gates said “…the robotics industry is developing in much the same way that the computer business did 30 years ago. As I look at the trends that are now starting to converge, I can envision a future in which robotic devices will become a nearly ubiquitous part of our day-to-day lives.”

Red Cedar Robotics Clubs mentoring the new clubs. 

As we move forward, we will be setting up workshops where the Red Cedar Robotics Clubs show new clubs surprising innovations!

Current Club Locations Dates/Times:

Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore Robotics Club
Location:    Hazlet — Cullen Center — first Saturday of the month
*  August 14
*  September 11
*  October 9
*  November 13
*  December 18
Time:  10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Location:    Farmingdale — Program Activity Center — First Saturday of the Month
*  August 14
*  September 11
*  November 13
*  December 11
Time: 10 am to 12 noon

Location:    Toms River — Ocean Service Center — Third Saturday of the Month
*  August 21
*  September 25
*  October 16
*  November 20
*  December 18
Time:  10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Location:    Red Bank — Red Bank Library (West Front Street)
*  August 26 — 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm (Thursday evening)
*  September 2 — 6:30 to 8:30 (Thursday evening) 
*  October 2 — 10:00 am to 12:00 pm (Saturday)
*  November 6 — 10:00 am to 12:00 pm (Saturday)   
*  December 4 — 10:00 am to 12:00 pm (Saturday)    

Locations pending:
*  Manahawkin

We are looking for adult coaches/facilitators for each of the clubs. If you or anyone you know is interested, please ask them to contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (732) 938-5454, ext. 125.

Please make your initial contact through the information request form.

     
Our Meetings

At our first meeting last week in Farmingdale, we opened with a get to know you activity, introducing ourselves and remembering each other’s names. We divided into two groups based on age and proceeded to make dancing birds move and sing.  The girls built the moving robotic and programmed it to sing a variety of interesting sounds, as well as move at different speeds.  After the initial success, girls were given a few challenges with moving the belts around gears to see how they could move their birds at different speeds.